Franciscan Ministry: A Concern for Human Dignity
By Fr. Brian Smail, OFM
The spirit behind Franciscan ministry reflects a core concern for the dignity of the human person. The foundational principle of Franciscan spirituality – that everyone is made in the image and likeness of God — has its origins in the memorable encounter between St. Francis and the leper.
Francis was riding his horse one day and encountered a poor leper on the side of the road. Lepers in the time of Francis were literally ostracized from their communities; they were feared and loathed. In fact, if a passerby happened to be approaching, lepers were required to ring a bell they carried to warn the individual lest they get too close. Imagine the sense of loneliness and isolation they felt, cut off from their communities and forced to live by the roadsides!
But, when he saw the leper that day, Francis was moved with compassion, dismounted his horse, and embraced him. This act was Francis’ witness to the human dignity of the poor leper. He saw not a horrible, deforming disease, but a human person loved by God.
Committed to the dignity of all people, for over 800 years the Franciscans have made a difference in the world through their outreach to the homeless, the poor, the sick and the alienated.
Fr. Brian, a native of Stoneham, Mass., has been vocation director for Holy Name Province since 2007.
A Day in the Life of a Student Friar
By Br. Gerald Hopeck, OFM
If someone had asked me three years ago whether I would be returning to Catholic education, I would have told them that they were crazy. However, for my internship this summer, I was asked to serve as interim assistant principal of St. Francis International School at St. Camillus Parish in Silver Spring, Md. After a few short months in this position, I realized that the Holy Spirit was calling me to my passion once again. I asked my guardian and formation director if I could apply for the job, and today I am the assistant principal of the school. I am a person who loves people, and in a school you have so many opportunities to minister in people’s lives. People are desperately looking for someone they can trust and help them see how God is working in their lives.
Br. Gerald consulting with students of St. Francis International School in Silver Spring, Md., where he serves as vice principal.
It is Wednesday and my alarm goes off at 4:45 a.m. I rush down to the dining room to get my first cup of coffee and return to my room to sit in my easy chair. I begin with silent meditation followed by reading the daily scriptures, and then I turn on a gospel song and my day has officially begun. I go to my laptop to write a daily bulletin for the teachers and check my e-mail. After putting finishing touches to my homily for the school children for the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, I put on my habit and head down to the chapel for morning prayer. Before I enter the chapel, I remember to turn off my Blackberry to avoid interruptions. While in chapel, I pray for my students and teachers who might be struggling or having a crisis, and realize the many blessings I have received during the past week. I remember the homily from Sunday and I ask God that I may be able to be servant to the students, teachers and parents whom I serve. The closing prayer is said and I grab my bag, turn on my Blackberry and begin my school day.
Br. Gerald instructing students in a classroom.
While walking the short distance to the school, I review everything that I need to accomplish, still realizing that God is in control and my day will not go the way I plan. I enter the school and a teacher pulls me aside asking me to pray for her mother who is in the hospital. I finally get to my office and, with markers, write my morning message to the students and faculty on a white board. As the bells ring, I greet 450 students, 500 parents and 50 teachers and then head to the church to get ready for the celebration of St. Francis. I sit down and call upon the Holy Spirit to give me the words to speak to the children and teachers. I begin my homily with a song, “Standing in the Need of Prayer,” and see the children are getting the message of what I am saying. I finish and thank God for being able to be His vehicle and voice for the people of God.
My day continues until 4 p.m. when a client for spiritual direction arrives at the school. Besides being the assistant principal, I am training to become a spiritual director as a way to guide others along their journeys of faith. I then head back to be with my brothers at Holy Name College where I live. Several of them ask how my day was, and I tell them of my adventures; I can feel their love and support. Sometimes they tease me and give me a hard time, but I know they see my passion for educating young bright minds.
As I reflect on the past four years of formation with the friars, I realize I have had my ups and downs. I have struggled and faced challenges, but have experienced the greatest joy of my life. I thank God for blessing me and for the gift of being able to bless others. I could easily still be in my condo in Center City, Pa., doing what I love, but my life is now balanced – filled with a joy and happiness that I have been praying for since I was a child. What can I say but thank you God, and I love you.
Br. Gerald was born and raised in Bridgeport, Conn. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theology and history from Kings College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and holds a master of arts degree in theology from LaSalle University in Philadelphia. He is completing a certificate in spiritual direction and a certificate in principal certification. Gerald first got to know the friars at St. Joseph’s Friary in Wilkes-Barre and then at St. Patrick-St. Anthony Parish in Hartford, Conn. Prior to joining the Order, he worked as an assistant principal and pastoral associate at several parishes, where he ministered to youth and the African American community. Gerald is currently in his second year of post-novitiate formation. He serves as assistant principal of St. Francis International School in Silver Spring, Md., and provides spiritual direction at St. Theresa of Avila Parish in Washington, D.C.
Remember Father Harry
Harry Monaco, OFM, died Dec. 5 at Holy Name College in Silver Spring, Md., after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 48 years old, a professed Franciscan for nine years and a priest for two.
Below is a reflection entitled “Remember Father Harry” by Br. Kevin Kriso, OFM. It appeared in the Dec. 9, 2011 issue of The Bona Venture. For additional information on Fr. Harry, please see the Dec. 7 issue of HNP Today and the Dec. 8 edition of The Bona Venture.
Fr. Harry (left) hiking with Br. Joe Kotula, OFM
Harry was talented but did not think too highly of himself; he was religious without being judgmental; intellectual without being proud, athletic and strong but klutzy at the same time; funny without being mean; very close to God but very concerned with people here and now; loved life but also ready to meet God in the afterlife.
Harry reminds me of a story from an earlier writing of the life of St. Francis called the “Mirror of Perfection.” It states: “The Most Blessed Father (Francis)… often pondered the virtues that ought to adorn a good Friar Minor (and how they) should imitate the lives and possess the merits of these holy Friars, the perfect faith and love of poverty of Brother Bernard, the simplicity and purity of Brother Leo… the courtesy of Brother Angelo… the gracious look and natural good sense of Brother Masseo… the mind upraised, possessed in its highest perfection by Brother Giles, the virtuous and constant prayer of Brother Rufino… the patience of Brother Juniper, the charity of Brother Roger… the caution of Brother Licidus (“Mirror of Perfection,” 85).”
When I remember the many years I have known Father Harry, I see a good Friar Minor indeed. His gentleness attracted many in the classroom, as a preacher, as a Confessor and as an outdoorsman and hiker. We will miss him and all of the potential good work he could have done if he was given the normal allotment of years.
Now, I wonder who of you out there reading this is going to be the next Father Harry?
If he can do it, you can do it. The world needs you.
By Br. Kevin Kriso, OFM. Br. Kevin is part of the friar staff at Mt. Irenaeus Retreat House in West Clarksville, N.Y.
St. Francis and the Christmas Crèche
By Fr. Brian Smail, OFM
The spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi was deeply rooted in the Incarnation. Francis had a profound reverence for all of creation because he saw it as graced by God through Jesus, the “Word made flesh.”
Francis was particularly moved by the humanity of Jesus and his birth in a stable. In the year 1223, while visiting the Italian town of Greccio at Christmas, he wished to recreate the nativity scene so that the people would always remember Jesus’ humble beginnings. Thomas of Celano quotes Francis as saying, “For I would make a memorial of that Child who was born in Bethlehem, and in some sort behold with bodily eyes his infant hardships; how he lay in a manger on hay, with the ox and ass standing by.”
St. Bonaventure vividly describes the scene in his Life of St. Francis of Assisi:
“It happened in the third year before his death, that in order to excite the inhabitants of Greccio to commemorate the nativity of the Infant Jesus with great devotion, St. Francis determined to keep it with all possible solemnity; and lest he should be accused of lightness or novelty, he asked and obtained the permission of the sovereign Pontiff. Then he prepared a manger and brought hay, and an ox and an ass to the place appointed. The brethren were summoned, the people ran together, the forest resounded with their voices, and that venerable night was made glorious by many and brilliant lights and sonorous psalms of praise.
The man of God [St. Francis] stood before the manger, full of devotion and piety, bathed in tears and radiant with joy; the Holy Gospel was chanted by Francis, the Levite of Christ. Then he preached to the people around the nativity of the poor King; and being unable to utter His name for the tenderness of His love, He called him the Babe of Bethlehem.
A certain valiant and veracious soldier, Master John of Greccio who, for the love of Christ, had left the warfare of this world, and become a dear friend of this holy man, affirmed that he beheld an infant marvelously beautiful, sleeping in the manger, whom the blessed Father Francis embraced with both his arms, as if he would awake him from sleep. This vision of the devout soldier is credible, not only by reason of the sanctity of him that saw it, but by reason of the miracles which afterwards confirmed its truth.
For the example of Francis, if it be considered by the world, is doubtless sufficient to excite all hearts which are negligent in the faith of Christ; and the hay of that manger, being preserved by the people, miraculously cured all diseases of cattle, and many other pestilences; God thus in all things glorifying his servant, and witnessing to the great efficacy of his holy prayers by manifest prodigies and miracles.”
As you celebrate Christmas with family and loved ones, may you behold the Christ Child with the same radiant joy of St. Francis. I wish you a peaceful Christmas, and a New Year filled with every grace and blessing.
Fr. Brian, a native of Stoneham, Mass., has been vocation director for Holy Name Province since 2007.
© Folk Nativity, Julie Lonneman, Courtesy of Trinity Stores, www.trinitystores.com, 800.699.4482
Franciscan Mission Service: A Ministry of Peace and Justice
By Kim Smolik
As you reflect on vocation, have you ever felt called to serve overseas with communities in need, in Latin America or Africa? If so, I would like to introduce you to Franciscan Mission Service (FMS). We are a lay mission organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with longstanding ties to Holy Name Province. In fact, several HNP friars served as missioners with us before they joined the Franciscan Order. If you think that engaging in a Franciscan ministry abroad could be an important part of your journey, we would like to hear from you.
FMS missioners Lynn Myrick and Joel Vaughn serve in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where they are educators. They teach at a rural university, run a children's library (pictured here) and are engaged in prison ministry.
FMS was founded in 1985 by Br. Anselm Moons, OFM, at the request of the North American Order of Friars Minor (OFM). We are here to scatter the seeds of Franciscan ministry and spirituality as widely as possible among the laity. Eight hundred years ago, this passion led St. Francis to found the Secular Franciscan Order, so that religious and lay people could serve and pray side by side. As he wrote, “Let the brothers rejoice when they live among people considered of little value and looked down upon, among the poor and the powerless, the sick and the lepers, and the beggars by the wayside.”
In that spirit, our lay missioners collaborate today with established Franciscan religious communities in Bolivia, Zambia, and South Africa. They make a minimum two-year commitment to serve overseas, and are then equipped for mission in their home communities in North America upon return. For the past 20 years, we have seen that lay men and women of all ages, single and married, have a strong desire to live in solidarity with the poor.
Nora Pfieffer, another missioner serving in Cochabamba, regularly hosts movie night for the children at the burn center where she lives (pictured here). Nora also does ecological work, including gardening, composting and running an ecological radio show.
Where this desire exists, it is a clear sign of vocation. In this summer’s edition of Be A Franciscan, Fr. Warren Sazama, SJ, wrote, “We discover what God is calling us to by paying attention to what gives us the most life, energy and joy.” I couldn’t agree more. One of our current missioners serving in Johannesburg, South Africa, said it well: “I’m working with and for people of a vastly different culture, mostly the poor, the dying, and those suffering from HIV/AIDS, and in less than ideal circumstances — and yet somehow I’m happy from morning to bedtime. I’m living in a quiet kind of joy each day the whole day long.”
Two HNP friars can tell you more about what mission with FMS is like. Fr. George Corrigan, OFM, president of our board of directors, served with FMS in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, from 1996 to 1999. He professed vows with the friars of Holy Name Province in 2002. Br. Paul O’Keefe, OFM, was a lay missioner with us in Kenya and Jamaica (1996-1997), working alongside Franciscans with street children, refugees, and the physically disabled. He professed his solemn vows as a Franciscan in 2010, and recently said, “All of my mission experiences have opened me up to new graces and broadened my perspective on what it means to be a Christian and a citizen of the world.”
I myself am not a Franciscan, but my involvement with Franciscans has renewed and deepened my sense of belonging to the Church. I hope this may also be true for you. For further information about FMS, please visit our website at www.franciscanmissionservice.org.
A
native of Minneapolis, Minn., Kim has worked for over 18 years as an educator, activist and administrator in a variety of social justice areas, with special interests in experiential and cross-cultural learning, poverty and race education, and organizational development. She became executive director of Franciscan Mission Service in 2009.
A Year Unplugged: A Reflection on My Novitiate Year
By Br. John Aherne, OFM
“This year will be particularly structured to allow space and opportunity for silence, reflection and prayer in each man’s life and together. We will provide you with phone cards to keep in contact with your loved ones, but active cell phones are not to be used. Internet access will ordinarily not be available. Radios, iPods and other media players are only to be judiciously used so as not to become regular distractions from silence and fraternal interaction. You will be challenged to be present to the moment, to God, and to the fraternity.”
– from the letter welcoming me to the novitiate
Not having access to email, the internet, or a cell phone was refreshing and downright relaxing for the first week or so of my novitiate. With no calls, texts or emails coming in, it felt a little bit like vacation, albeit without room service. By the end of the second week, however, annoyance and distress had started to set in. How was I to keep up with friends and family without email? What if I got lost in the fields of Wisconsin and needed to call a car service to get me out? And just how was I supposed to find out whose relationships were going from “Engaged” to “It’s complicated” on Facebook?
Br. John signs the "Book of Life" during the Aug. 15 Reception of Novices ceremony.
But as time went on and I began to immerse myself into the novitiate experience, the relative silence became a lot more comfortable, a lot more prayerful, and even began to bear some fruit. Without all the distractions, drama and background noise of everyday living, I have the time and the silence to open myself up to a deeper reflection on my life and God’s role in it. I started to realize not only how unnecessarily noisy and over-scheduled my life had been before joining the friars, but also how little time I had really devoted to God. As important as it was to me, I had treated my relationship with God as just another entry on my agenda, something to be addressed after work, play and spending time with family and friends.
In the novitiate, however, my relationship with God has become the agenda. Instead of fitting God in the margins of my life, taking whatever excess time I had and giving it to Him, God is slowly (and I hope surely) becoming the center of it. Life here is centered around prayer—from the morning prayers which get us going, through the midday and evening prayers which sustain us, to the night prayer which sends us off to sleep. And, while there is plenty of noise and activity during the day—classes, workshops, meals, manual work periods and recreation time (who knew that Franciscan novices were such card sharks!)–there are also those periods of silence when my relationship with God becomes paramount. Silence to actually sit and listen to His call. Silence to discern what my response will be. Silence to just sit with God and get to know Him a bit better. Silence that isn’t filled with tasks to do or people to see, but with grace. With prayer. With a little bit of confusion and doubt. And with a whole lot of hope.
St. Francis Friary in Burlington, Wis., site of the Franciscan Interprovincial Novitiate.
In 1 Kings, Elijah is told by God to stand on a mountain to await the passing of the Lord. A great and strong wind came by tearing the mountain to pieces, but Elijah did not hear the Lord in the wind. Following the wind was an earthquake, but Elijah didn’t hear Him in that. After the earthquake came a fire, but Elijah didn’t hear the Lord in the fire either. But after the fire came a sound of a gentle blowing, the faintest whisper—and that’s when Elijah hears the Lord speak. In many ways, a good part of my novitiate experience so far has been waiting for the wind and fire and quaking to subside so that I can listen, in the quiet, to what the Lord is saying to me.
Granted, the Lord is speaking to me in other ways, too. He speaks to me through the other novices here, who range in age from 21 to 52 and who are from Mexico, Canada, and virtually all points in between. Though we all have different backgrounds, different ideas and different ways of viewing God and the world, our desire to follow Christ in the footsteps of St. Francis unites us, and is bringing us together in what is shaping up to be a pretty great community of brothers.
It’s reassuring to know that St. Francis spent much of his life going back and forth between times of deep, silent prayer and active ministry in the world. One seemed to nourish the other for him. So while I occasionally look forward to being in active ministry, to being out among the larger body of Christ (and admittedly, to checking my email), for now, sitting in silence, and just being present to the moment, to God and the fraternity is just fine with me.
John was born in the Bronx and grew up in Maspeth, Queens. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English and anthropology from New York University, he embarked on a career as an editor and worked at several major publishing companies. John got to know the friars by attending daily Mass and serving as a lector and Eucharistic minister at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Manhattan. He is spending his second year of formation in the Franciscan Interprovincial Novitiate in Burlington, Wis.
It’s a Wonderful Life
By Fr. Sean O’Brien, OFM
People are often curious about what a parish priest does all day. It is not uncommon to hear voices inquiring, “Father, aside from saying Mass on Sunday, what else do you do?”
Fr. Sean greets Sacred Heart parishioners after Mass.
Sometimes I feel ill equipped to adequately describe a typical day in my life as a priest ministering in a busy urban parish like Sacred Heart Church in Tampa, Fla. Yes, I say Mass, not just on Sunday, but usually every day. The daily communicants who come through the doors of our 150 year-old church are from all walks of life – men and women who work downtown, housewives, tourists, police officers, students, and homeless people looking for a place to rest their weary hearts. They all bring their hopes and dreams, worries and concerns and place them on the table of the Lord, seeking to be fed with the presence of God’s goodness, love and hope.
At Sacred Heart, the celebration of the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation are much appreciated and well attended. I am frequently reminded why they are called visible expressions of God’s invisible grace. It is a great honor and very humbling to be a minister of these special sacraments.
The mystery and wonder of God’s grace is always without limit. It is revealed while grieving with family members gathered around the hospital bed of a loved one awaiting sister death or transporting a homeless man to a nearby detox center to help him with his drug addiction. At other times it is listening to a student struggling with the social and academic challenges of high school. The wonder of God’s grace is also revealed while working with couples preparing to marry and helping them to better understand themselves and their future spouses or by participating with a dedicated group of parishioners seeking to find new and better ways to help the growing homeless population who walk our streets.
Fr. Sean poses with students of Sacred Heart School.
A parish ministry to which I dedicate a portion of my time involves our parish school. I believe our schools can serve as great tools for evangelization for Catholic as well as non- Catholic students when partnered with the church community and dedicated parents. As a middle school religion teacher, I know that if the material I intend to teach is to have any meaning for the students, it has to be presented creatively and be relevant to their world. As a result, my lesson plans often include activities such as sharing in a real Passover meal, painting the story of St. Francis on our classroom windows, performing puppet shows rooted in the gospel parables, or engaging the students in a competitive game of scripture jeopardy.
Frequently, I am reminded why children often serve as our greatest teachers, and how God’s grace continues to reveal itself in unexpected and surprising ways. Once, at the beginning of a class, while impatiently telling the students to hurry and get ready for the work we had to review, a quiet voice echoed from the back of the room, “Fr. Sean, ….we forgot to pray.” And I’m the religion teacher?
Another special ministry where the surprise of God’s grace pours forth occurs at Orient Road Jail. The orange uniformed, tattooed women who come to celebrate Mass are always grateful and appreciative for our time and efforts. Their heavy and burdened lives seek answers, meaning and something to hope for. I listen to their stories of sorrow and regret and remind them about the power of God’s grace and to never give up. Some eventually find their way to Sacred Heart to convey their thanks, to share their new hopes and to sing out “… I once was blind, but now I see.”
Of course, my life as a priest is filled with many other wonderful experiences, but it only makes sense within the context of my Franciscan vocation. My brother friars with whom I live and work and pray continue to encourage, inspire and challenge me to live the gospel of Jesus Christ in the spirit of our brother Francis. I am forever grateful for the countless ways God’s grace is revealed through them and seek always to remain open to how it may continue through me.
Fr. Sean grew up in Loudonville, N.Y., and graduated from Niagara University in Lewiston, N.Y. He worked in the Albany area for a few years before volunteering at Covenant House in New York City working with homeless youth. Fr. Sean entered the friars in 1991 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1998. Since then, he has ministered at St. Mary Church in Pompton Lakes, N.J., Nativity School in Durham, N.C., and Siena College in Loudonville. Fr. Sean currently serves at Sacred Heart Church in Tampa, Fla., and teaches in the parish school.
My Wonderful Franciscan Journey
Francis discerned his call from God over a period of time; it did not happen overnight. Each person hears his or her calling in a different way, under different circumstances. As seen in Fr. Jud’s vocation story below, meeting individual friars and a personal invitation made all the difference.
Fr. Jud poses with parishioners of St. Anthony of Padua Church in Camden, N.J., where he is pastor.
My parents and the religious sisters at St. Benedict’s Grade School in suburban Buffalo, N.Y., instilled in me a love for God and for the Church, but I did not meet a friar until my first day of college at the University of Notre Dame. Notre Dame is not a Franciscan university, but as I walked through the door of my dormitory, the very first person to greet me was a friendly man dressed in a brown robe. He was Fr. Chuck Faso, OFM, a friar pursuing his master’s in liturgy. I had thought about becoming a priest since I was a young boy, and Fr. Chuck’s joy-filled manner steered me in the direction of religious life.
Although I went on two retreats with the Franciscans after graduating from college, I did not think I was ready yet to join them. After two years of teaching high school in Chicago, I returned to Buffalo for grad school at the University of Buffalo, known as the birthplace of secular humanism. Yet it was there that I met another friendly man dressed in a brown robe: Fr. Matt Gaskin, OFM.
Fr. Matt was a campus minister at the Newman Center, and he inspired me not just by his great preaching and retreat skills, but by his example of simple living in a room above a homeless shelter near downtown Buffalo, the Little Portion. He became my spiritual director and, one day as we were speaking in my kitchen, he asked what I planned to do after grad school. He was not satisfied with my answer that I was “keeping my options open” and said I had to seek my Master Possibility. As soon as he said that, I knew my Master Possibility was to give my life to Christ following the footsteps of Francis of Assisi.
Since joining the friars, I have been “superbendecido” – unbelievably blessed. I have met the greatest people in the world, including my classmates who helped me through the trials and tribulations of our first years in the friars. I have been fortunate to serve at St. Camillus in Silver Spring, Md., at St. Bonaventure University in western New York, and now in Camden. I have never been happier, and there’s nothing better than preaching in Camden when the Gospel begins, “Blessed are the Poor!”
I am most grateful to my brother and sister Franciscans who serve and live among the poor and those considered least important in society – whether in Camden or across the globe. I thank God and my brother friars for leading me on this wonderful, Franciscan journey.
By Fr. Jud Weiksner, OFM. Fr. Jud was born and raised in Buffalo. He holds a Ph.D. in policy studies from the University of Buffalo and attended Washington Theological Union in Washington, D.C. Fr. Jud currently serves as pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Church in Camden, N.J.
Adapted from an article of the same name which appeared in the Vocations section of the Catholic Star Herald, April 23, 2010.
- Left to right, Kevin, Junior, Eufemio, Fr. Brian Smail,
OFM, Fr. Robert Gavin, OFM
Last weekend, I had the privilege of hosting four young men who are interested in our Franciscan way of life. Kevin, Brian, Junior, and Eufemio came to our downtown ministry of St. Francis of Assisi parish to have an experience of friar life and ministry. Two of our ministries that always prove to be powerful experiences for our guests are the St. Francis Breadline and the residences of St. Francis Friends of the Poor.
The spirit behind the Breadline and the St. Francis residences reflects a core concern of the Franciscans: the dignity of the human person. This tenet of Franciscan spirituality had its origins in the memorable encounter with St. Francis and the leper. Francis was riding his horse one day and encountered a poor leper on the side of the road. Lepers in the time of Francis were literally ostracized from their communities. They were feared and loathed. In fact, if a passerby happened to be approaching, lepers were required to ring a bell they carried to warn the individual lest they get too close. Imagine the sense of loneliness and isolation they felt, cut off from their communities and forced to live by the roadsides! But, when he saw the leper that day, Francis was moved with compassion, dismounted his horse, and embraced him. This act was Francis’ witness to the human dignity of the poor leper. He saw not a horrible, deforming disease, but a human person loved by God.
To this day, this witness to human dignity grounds Franciscan life and ministry. The St. Francis Breadline has fed hundreds of New York City homeless for 80 years. Begun during the Great Depression, the Breadline provides a substantial sandwich, juice, and hot coffee to its guests. For many, it may be their only meal of the day. But it is also a time when the guests receive a smile and a few kinds words from the friars and the wonderful, dedicated volunteers who minister with them 365 days a year. It may be their only human contact for the day.
Last Sunday morning, the men who attended our Come and See weekend rose early and had a “hands on” experience of working the breadline by helping to distribute the food and chat with the guests. One of them remarked at the sheer number of people present who were in need; another was struck by the gratitude of so many of the guests for the work of the friars and volunteers. The day before, Fr. Tom Walters, OFM, led a tour of St. Francis residence for men, one of three facilities founded by the friars in the 1970′s to serve a most desperate population: homeless people who suffer from schizophrenia. It is here that the residents transition from a life on the streets to a largely self-sufficient life with dignity. Kevin, Brian, Junior, and Eufemio had the chance to chat with several of the residents and view their artwork on display in one of the conference rooms. They witnessed a clean, secure, and attractive facility that the people who live there can call “home,” and where they feel a sense of community and belonging.
For over 800 years, since Francis of Assisi’s encounter with the leper by the roadside, the Franciscan friars have made a difference in the world by their outreach to the homeless, the poor, the sick, and the alienated. By remembering that everyone is made in the image and likeness of God, the friars have always been committed to the dignity of all people. Have you ever considered a call to our way of life? Everyone has a vocation….what’s yours? Visit us a BeAFranciscan.org for more information.
By Fr. Brian Smail, Vocation Director
Can You See Yourself in These Men?
In an earlier blog, I announced and welcomed five postulants, or men who recently began their first year of formation to Franciscan life and ministry. I shared how it was to work with them and see them progress through the discernment process.
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce these men so that you can get to know them better. As you read their brief biographies, I invite you to ask yourself the following questions: “Can I see myself in any of these men?” and ”Can I see myself doing this as well?” Everyone has a vocation: what’s yours?
Dennis Bennett
Dennis was born in Newport, R.I., and raised in Bristol, R.I. In 2008, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Rhode Island College in Providence. After earning a master’s in chemistry from Florida State University in Tallahassee in 2010, Dennis returned to Rhode Island College as an adjunct professor in the Department of Physical Sciences. He came to know the friars at St. Mary’s Church in Providence and was attracted to “their emphasis on fraternity and wide range of ministries.” In addition to the field of higher education, Dennis is interested in working with the poor and disadvantaged.
Casey Cole
Born in North Wales, Pa., Casey graduated from Furman University in Greenville, S.C., with a degree in theology earlier this year. While a student at Furman, he was active in campus ministry and Club Baseball. Coming to know the friars through a student spirituality group led by Fr. Patrick Tuttle, OFM, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Church in Greenville, Casey spent the summer of 2010 volunteering at St. Francis Inn in Philadelphia, Pa. Of his volunteer experience, Casey said, “Communal life offered a joy and challenge that rejuvenated me after a full day’s work, and fulfilled me more that I could have imagined.”
Sergio Ferrisi
A native New Yorker, Sergio earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of South Carolina in 2002. He also holds a master’s degree in philosophy from USC Columbia and completed a master of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in Manhattan earlier this year. Sergio came to know the friars through his ministry at Holy Name of Jesus Church on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Interested in higher education, he is drawn to Franciscan spirituality because it “emphasizes the gospel life, fraternity and solidarity in justice with the poor and marginalized.”
Edgardo Jara Araya
A native of Costa Rica, Edgardo graduated from Costa Rica Catholic University with a degree in theology and humanities in 2004. He worked in a bank and as a high school teacher before entering religious life in 2010. Of his teaching experience, Edgardo said, “I tried to teach professionally, but with love.” Originally a postulant with our Lady of Guadalupe Province, he came to know the friars of Holy Name Province while attending an interprovincial workshop. Edgardo is particularly drawn to educational ministry and working with, listening to, and guiding young adults.
Ramoncito Razon
Originally from the Philippines, Ramon graduated from the University of Manila with a degree in development in 2001, and completed a master’s degree in teaching of English from Columbia University in Manhattan in 2007. Before joining the friars, he was an instructor at the English Language School for Community Leaders in Brooklyn, N.Y. Ramon came to know the friars through Fr. Steve Mimnaugh, OFM, at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Manhattan. Committed to teaching, he is attracted to the Franciscans because, “I need a community of brothers to help me come up with my best response to love Jesus back.”
Feel free to contact me to discuss your interests, skills and experiences, and how God may be calling you to Franciscan life. Believe me, it is a wonderful calling to answer God’s invitation to a life of service to others!
Fr. Brian Smail, OFM, Vocation Director
